10 Common Fitness Myths Debunked

Following a fitness schedule to keep you and your family on the path to a healthier, safer and more enjoyable workout, there are certain facts that you should know of when it comes to exercise tips.

Here are some common myths revealed by several top fitness experts:

Myth#1: You can take weight off of specific body parts by doing exercises that target those areas. Performing abdominal exercises will give you a flat stomach.

Truth: “Spot training” doesn’t burn fat. You just cannot tone muscles, you can only lose fat through exercises like squats, dips, pull downs, cardio/aerobics, strength training and following a proper diet. Whenever you exercise you usually lose fat overall. Abdominal exercises can help build muscle in your midsection and improve posture but not tone or lose weight from that area.

Myth#2: You’ll burn more fat on an empty stomach.

Truth: Working on an empty stomach burns more muscle defeating the purpose of any fat-loss diet. Assess what type of training you will be doing (weights or cardio) and eat in accordance to the amount of energy needed, time to wake up and when you will be starting your workout.

Myth#3: If you can’t exercise hard and often, there’s really no point:

Truth: Even moderate amount of exercise reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke. 10 minute exercises like jumping rope, body weight exercises, brisk walking etc. distributed throughout the day, may help lower blood pressure and burn calories but for effective weight loss, you may need to burn more calories.

Myth#4: If you’re not sweating, you’re not losing weight:

Truth: Sweating is the body’s way of cooling down and not an indicator of exertion. Fat is oxidized inside your body and it is not going to vaporize if you’re sweating.

Myth#5: As long as you feel O.K when you’re working out, you’re probably not overdoing it.

Truth: The biggest mistake people tend to make when returning to an exercise program is doing too much too soon. You don’t feel the overdoing it part until a day or two later. So no matter how good you feel when you return to an activity, don’t overdo it or you may need to back out again.

Myth#6: Being in excruciating pain after training is a sign of a great workout

Truth: “No pain, no gain”. A sign of a good workout is results, not soreness. However, if the soreness dissipates, it is an indication of muscle fatigue; but if you feel pain in your neck, lower back or any joint, it means your movement patterns were off, the weight load was too heavy or you did too many repetitions.

Myth#7: Machines are a safer way to exercise because you’re doing it right every time.

Truth: This is only true if the machine is properly adjusted for your weight and height. Learn to use the gym machines so that you’re more likely to see results than suffer from an injury.

Myth#8: Yoga can help with all sorts of pain

Truth: Yoga stretches may be helpful for back pain if it is muscle related but it can actually cause you more pain if your back pain may be associated with a ruptured disc or other related problems.

Myth#9: Swimming is a great weight loss activity

Truth: While swimming is excellent for increasing lung capacity and is relaxing, it does not burn enough calories unless you swim for hours in a day. Also, you may feel ravenous when you come out of the water.

Myth#10: Women need different exercises than men

Truth: Women usually worry that lifting weights will bulk them up but this is not possible without the hormone testosterone. Both men and women have the same body structure with different hormonal make ups, but that does not mean they should work out differently. But, men tend to focus on abs, chest and arms and women on glutes and legs.

Author Bio:

Zyana Morris is a passionate blogger who loves to write about prevailing Health and Lifestyle trends. She is a featured author at various blogs and currently working for Centra Care Florida, a Tampa urgent care center. Follow @ZyanaMorris for more updates.